Manor Council considers vote to enable long-term sewage loan

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Manor Council might vote to amend the Westmoreland Municipal Authority service agreement as soon as next week to enable the authority to stretch out its debt for a capital project.

Council is advertising a draft ordinance of an amendment and could consider approval at its Feb. 20 meeting, borough manager Joe Lapia said.

If approved by all six member municipalities, the amendment would allow the sewage authority to accept as much as a 25-year debt for a project to eliminate discharges of untreated wastewater into Brush Creek in North Huntingdon during heavy rains.

Under the existing terms of the service agreement, the authority is limited to a 19-year debt term, which is six years less than its auditors recommend.

A longer debt term would decrease the necessary rate hikes to pay off the financing for the project, authority officials have said.

The state Department of Environmental Protection is mandating the project, which is estimated to cost almost $58 million if the state agency approves an authority proposal to replace most of the sewage lines and build a new sewage storage tank.

The other member municipalities that must approve the amendment are Penn Township, Irwin, North Irwin, North Huntingdon and Hempfield.

Fuel card

The borough might be able to save a few hundred dollars this year by switching to a fuel card through a state purchasing program to buy gas, Lapia said.

Manor is getting a discount card through the Department of General Services' “COSTARS” program instead of continuing to use a discount card through Citgo. The new card will enable borough employees to fill up at any gas station.

Lapia said he estimates the borough might save at least $500 per year, depending on the price of gas.

Planning board

Councilman Jeff Herman is the new chairman of the Manor Planning Commission. Mary Barbour is the vice chairwoman, and Councilwoman Dawn Lynn is the board's secretary.

Council appointed Keith Kitterman to fill the vacancy created when Mike Kochasic resigned in January. Kitterman's term expires at the end of 2014.

Paving program

Officials are considering paving Mt. Pleasant Boulevard and a section of Rowe Road for paving project this year.

The borough has about $170,000 available in the budget for paving, Lapia said.

Chris Foreman is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 412-856-7400, ext. 8671, or cforeman@tribweb.com.

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